Fire Emblem Fates spokesperson terminated

BY JOSE OTERONintendo product marketing specialist Alison Rapp has been terminated by the company, according to a tweet on her personal account. Rapp is no longer seen as “a good, safe representative of Nintendo,” she wrote on Twitter.

Her departure follows a heated internet controversy over the localization of Fire Emblem Fates when the game released in the US in February. The controversy grew into a larger issue that involved complaints being sent to Nintendo.

The debate focused on content altered from the original Japanese release, and Rapp was at the center of complaints about the changes despite having “had no involvement with localized content changes of any kind,” according to a separate tweet.

A Nintendo representative denied that Rapp’s termination was related to the controversy, providing the following statement to IGN:

“Alison Rapp was terminated due to violation of an internal company policy involving holding a second job in conflict with Nintendo’s corporate culture. Though Ms. Rapp’s termination follows her being the subject of criticism from certain groups via social media several weeks ago, the two are absolutely not related. Nintendo is a company committed to fostering inclusion and diversity in both our company and the broader video game industry and we firmly reject the harassment of individuals based on gender, race or personal beliefs. We wish Ms. Rapp well in her future endeavors.”

(Update: Rapp responded to Nintendo’s statement on Twitter, admitting to “moonlighting under a fake name,” but added that moonlighting “is actually accepted at Nintendo. It’s policy.”)

As a member of the Nintendo’s marketing team, Rapp worked on many games from the company’s portfolio, including The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, Bayonetta 2, and the upcoming role playing game Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.

“I do want to also say that I had some truly incredible coworkers at Nintendo, and I’d love it if you continued to support them,” she wrote, adding that she’ll seek other opportunities in Seattle.